This is a work in progress that I will update: The first link is to a Google Earth view of the area of the 14th par 3 hole, prior to the tree removal. It is the best I can find in Google Earth or Bing Birdseye. The shade of the trees around the green preclude me from showing how the green relates in location to the 15th tee directly behind the green, and only separated by the steep slope behind the green down about 10 ft to the cart path that comes around the 14th green from its right side, and parks the carts directly behind 14th green, not even visible to people on 14th tee.
The next two photos are of the 14th I took this last week, when I had occasion to be travelling right past Lawsonia on a different mission than golf. I stopped just as the last twinkle of daylight was waning. All I had with me was my cell phone, so the qulity is poor. I rushed to 14 to have a look at the tree removal that I haven't seen yet this year. I was impressed and inspired that this new look is just a few more minor changes from being exquisite.
I do not know how to import the google earth photo to a paint program so I can illustrate the changes I would like to see made, and am confident would be very workable and make both true remodel-restore sense, and would satisfy design from a liability stand point. I need to be able to draw some lines and paint in a bunker to the rear, to be fully able to explain myself. But, I'll try.
For now:
http://maps.google.com/maps/empw?url=http:%2F%2Fmaps.google.com%2Fmaps%3Fie%3DUTF8%26hl%3Den%26ll%3D43.828231,-89.007052%26spn%3D0.001772,0.005123%26t%3Dh%26z%3D18%26vpsrc%3D6%26output%3Dembed&hl=en&gl=us
As I mentioned, the current cart path comes around 14 from the right and goes wide of the deep greenside front right bunker, and approaches the place where carts stop beside 15 tee, on a bit of a ledge, about 4 ft above 15th left tee side. The 15th tee is surrounded on the rear and right side by a deep ravine where it would be very problematic and impracticle to reconstruct a path coming from right side of 14 and going behind 15 tee and exiting 15 tee from its right side.
So, I propose to reroute the cart path. That path currently exits on the left side area coming to 14 tee from 13th green, and passes a portapotty, and travels another 30ft or so between some very tall pines. The last of those tall pines is just before you get to the 14th teeing area and where carts stop to let off players to take the 14th tee. Then the current path passes in front of the 14th tee and then down and around the far right side of th 14th corridor.
What "must" be done (and is simple) is to reroute the cart path from that stopping point next to the last large pine before 14th tee, and proceed up the corridor between some of the other pines behind 13th green, to approach 14 green from the left, and from among a few of the tall pines up that left side. I walked and measured that route, and there is enough room for a 6 ft wide asphalt path, same as the current width and composition of the current path. Then, as the new path approaches 14th green, from among those pines, one pine- and only one pine- and not the one closest to the green - need be taken out to accommodate this new route. The new route would have a cart stopping station, only about 10-15 yards ahead of current 15th teeing area, and then proceed down the hill towards the pond as currently routed as players leave 15th tee after hitting their shots.
Taking out the cart path that currently comes from the far right side of 14 green and parks carts on a ledge about 4-5 ft above the 15th tee, leaves the width of the ledge of where the path is currently located, where that will then leave a PERFECT ledge to site a back, L&M style rear bunker, exactly like the one found on the left rear side of the par 3 #10th hole. It would be the same depth and width down slope off the rear of the green as the one on 10 and also as far or slightly less deep below the green as those on 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18. The asphalt of the existing cart path need simply be torn up with a bobcat, and turf replanted.
The issue I wanted to examine was the liability that might be involved with the tree removal that was to the rear of 14th green, where overflown shots may go long and down onto the players heads who are teeing off on 15, who can't be seen from the 14th tee. Since the trees are now gone anyway, the issue is mitigated by the shortness of the 14th par 3 anyway. It is very unlikely someone will hit too much club into that hole, and there is enough room, particularly if that ledged in new bunker to the rear were placed there to cause serious likelihood that the players on 15 tee will be bothered. It just isn't in the nature of that hole for tee shots on 14 to go that long. Short is always the more likely. Anything rolling off the back of 14 green will go to the new ledged-in rear bunker, not onto 15th tee.
I swear, with a team of tree cutters experienced to remove that one tall pine on the new cart path route without damaging the green by dropping any branches onto the green, and the regular maintenance crew at Lawsonia and one bobcat and small excavator, I personally could do this. It is not rocket science, and it would totally restore and remodel this one previously oddball hole into a complete L&M faithful design.